Dakota Datebook

On this date in 1910, students at the University of North Dakota were studying for their final exams. Registration Day on that year's calendar was February 8, so they were also considering classes to take during the upcoming spring semester.

Europe was at war in 1916. In North Dakota, Germans from Russia agonized over the foreign events. Their ancestors were from Germany, and they or their parents were born in Russia. And even though they now lived in America, their loyalty was widely questioned.

Anton Covlin and Alec Panasuk were neighboring farmers in Dogden, North Dakota. In September 1917 the two men got into a dispute over horses. Witnesses from each family told different stories, but could agree on one thing, Alec Panasuk died.

Winter in North Dakota can be a challenge, but it can also offer great experiences and traditions. Dakota Datebook joins the celebration of winter in conjunction with the Northern Plains National Heritage Area and Sons of Norway Sverdrup Lodge for the inaugural “Vinterfest,” a celebration of all things winter, throughout the month of January.

In 1937 when Fred Morrison was seventeen years old, he and his girlfriend began tossing the lid of a popcorn container to each other. Even after Fred and Lucile got married, they continued playing with the popcorn lids. Then they discovered that metal cake pans flew better and began tossing those.

In this episode of Dakota Datebook we'll listen to Dan Jerome, enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa in part two of The Importance of Knowing Who You Are.

For the first 125 years of the United States, voters did not elect their U.S. senators. As adopted in 1788, the Constitution stated that senators would be elected instead by the state legislatures. Allowing the legislatures to elect senators was intended to reassure states’ rights advocates that there was a check on the power of the national government. Avoiding a popular election was also seen as a way to provide balance in Congress, offsetting the populism of the House of Representatives.

Ordained in Montreal, Father John Malo was sent to Dakota Territory in 1879 to work with the indigenous people. He settled in the area near the Turtle Mountains. Not having a church building, he said mass in settlers’ homes and led open-air Masses. He also constructed a rough chapel, a small log building with a dirt floor and three wooden benches that served as pews. A simple wooden table served as the altar. Father Malo was one of the earliest white settlers in the area that would include the town of St. John.

When the United States entered World War I, former President Teddy Roosevelt paid a visit to President Woodrow Wilson. He proposed raising a volunteer unit to join the war. He had done so years earlier during the Spanish American War, when he famously led the Rough Riders on a charge up San Juan Hill. Now, he was looking to give it another go, and join the war in France.

Winter in North Dakota can be a challenge, but it can also offer great experiences and traditions. This month we’re sharing a few special Dakota Datebooks as part of Vinterfest, in conjunction with the Northern Plains National Heritage Area and Sons of Norway Sverdrup Lodge.